Happy Birthday, Peter!

Dear Hearts,

Peter and siblings

February 1st is the birthday of Peter Michael Sullivan: son of Seamus the Younger and Erin; brother of John, Annie, Kathleen, Thomas, Maggie, Joe, Brigid, Seamus and Patrick; nephew, cousin and friend to dozens of others.

Peter, a talented and dedicated hockey player, is playing for one of the largest clubs in the Midwest. In fact, he recently played in the high school all star game and with just ten minutes left, Peter scored to tie it up and give his team life!

He is the third oldest boy of the ten Omaha Sullys and has the gorgeous Irish complexion. I'm sure he's oblivious to the crushes many girls hold for him.

Happy Birthday Peter, and may you have 106 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

God Bless Matty

Dear Hearts,

January 31st is the 38th anniversary of the birth of Matthew Wiley Sullivan, Jr.: son of Matt and Wendy; stepson of Lisa; brother of Henry and Georgia; father of Averee; nephew, cousin and friend to a whole bunch more.

We lost Matty in October of 2020. He had moved back to L.A. to begin building a new life. Indeed, he was doing just that--reconnecting with family, joining the workforce and moving toward an independent life--when he was hit by a truck while riding his bike home from work.

He was refreshingly honest about the five or so years he spent at Folsom State Prison. Through his letters and in-person conversation, I was always impressed by his ability to communicate. I learned so much from our conversations.

It was always so endearing to hear him speak of his beautiful daughter, Averee. She inspired him immensely.

God bless you, Matty. We miss you and pray you are enjoying eternal life with your family and friends in heaven. Check in with us now and again and let us know you're watching over us.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Aunt Patty

Happy Birthday, Maggie Pop!

Dear Hearts,

January 31st is the birthday of Margaret Poppy Flores: daughter of Lizzy and Randy; sister of Levi and Amos; granddaughter of Margaret and Brian Glick and Kim and Randy Flores; cousin and niece of a whole bunch of us. Maggie is one of the happiest and content girls I've ever known.

With two years experience in this thing we call life, Maggie Pop has developed a wonderful confidence and clear opinions.

Some of us think that Mary Claire  comes through her once in a while--in fashion and in attitude. She still holds the hearts of her brothers, enduring their sweet baby talk and protective love.

Happy birthday, Maggie, and may you have 123 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Welcome Josey Louise!

 Dear Hearts,

On January 27, 2022, we welcomed to the world Josey Louise Russell: daughter of Molly and Daniel Russell; grandson of Mercy and Hal Clevenger; neice, great neice and cousin to a whole bunch more.

Molly, Daniel and Josey are well and sticking close together in this still tightly controlled environment with Covid-19. Josey weighed 6 lbs., 8 oz., is 19 inches long and made her debut at 6:58 p.m. PST.

Welcome to the world tiny girl, and may you have 125 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Prayer Request

Dear Hearts,

Please take a few minutes to offer up a prayer for a dear friend and comrade of Jim's (Seamus the Older).

Kurt Reineke is, at this minute, in a hospital in Las Vegas with double pneumonia and Covid-19. His wife and children are nearby in support, but since Kurt has been placed on a ventilator it is impossible for them to speak together. He has coded and was revived.

Kurt, a member of the West Point Class of 1970, served our country honorably in ways that cannot be described. Literally--classified work of the highest kind. He just turned 74 on January 20, Big Sully's birthday. 

Jim calls Kurt his right-hand man as Kurt is the chairman of the class Consesus Comittee and served as Jim's campaign manager in Jim's bid for class president. 

Kurt is loyal, loving, quiet and brave as a lion. Today he needs our help. Let's raise him up in prayer to help bear the burden and ease the pain of our Dear Heart. I offer this prayer through the intercession of St. Bernadine, the patron of all who suffer respiratory illness:

Jesus, Name full of glory, grace, love and strength!
You are the refuge of those who repent,
our banner of warfare in this life,
the medicine of souls,
the comfort of those who mourn,
the delight of those who believe,
the light of those who preach the true faith,
the wages of those who toil,
the healing of the sick.
To You our devotion aspires;
by You our prayers are received;
we delight in contemplating You.
O Name of Jesus, You are the glory of all the saints for eternity.
Amen.
St. Bernardine Pray for us! 

Thank you all.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Bobby!

Dear Hearts,

January 23rd is the birthday of Robert Mitchel Lewis: son of Paul and Margaret; brother of Mary Ella, PJ, William and Timothy; cousin to dozens and friend to all. He is a very good boy, and, like his Uncle Bobby, named after his Grandpa, Bob.

I've seen his mischievous smile and witnessed his kind nature--a great combo! He is a great mix of his parents in looks and spirit, as well as intelligence, athleticism and goodness. If he's the same Bobby Lewis I found on MaxPreps, this kid played two varsity football games as a freshman last fall and averaged two tackles a game!

Happy Birthday, Bobby, and may you have 110 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Matt!

Dear Hearts,

January 23rd is the birthday of Matthew John Sullivan: son of John and Nancy; brother of Mike and Maggie; uncle to Evangeline, Violet and Brandon; cousin and friend to scores more. Matt has been blessed with the same beautiful dimples of his mom and dad.

A gifted artist, Matt has produced an album and continues to explore his music-making abilities with great creativity and skill. He currently works as an ambassador for Creative Alliance, an organization that works to bring artists together to build art and education program in the Baltimore area.

For such a young man, he has created a diverse and impressive resume that includes marketing, editing, management, tutoring/teaching and even dog walking! And that doesn't include his volunteer efforts with various non-profits. With an undergrad degree from James Madison U and a Masters from the American University, Matt's future is looking bright and we look forward to hearing about his next endeavor.

Happy Birthday, Matthew, and may you have 92 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Henry!

Dear Hearts,

January 23rd is the birthday of Henry Knox Sullivan: son of Matt and Lisa; brother of Matty and Georgia; cousin to scores and friend of even more. Henry is named after our first Secretary of War, and the general in command of the Continental Army's artillery.

As a hard-working tradesman in carpentry, Henry has built serious tree houses in a few different states, beautiful fencing throughout Northern and Southern California and fully renovated a kitchen for a friend. He's currently a bit of a nomad, having picked up sticks in Southern California to do some travelling.

Hank also continues to create music and share that talent with others on social media and in real life. 

Happy Birthday Henry, and may you have 95 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Mary!

Dear Hearts,

January 23rd is the birthday of Mary Reid Sullivan: daughter of George and Ellie Reid; wife of Mickey; mother of Oscar, Beatrice and Georgia; niece, aunt, cousin and friend to many more.

Before having children, Mary was a firefighter and paramedic. Since then she has supported her family in every way imaginable, raising three curious, intelligent, healthy and talented children along with Mick.

I believe Mary was the first in-law of that generation of Sullivans--a trailblazer who we are grateful to call ours.

Happy Birthday, Mary, and may you have 78 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Ryan!

Dear Hearts,

January 22nd is the birthday of Ryan Robert Huffman: husband of Katie O.; father of Caroline, Grace and June; son of Mike and Susan; brother of Jennifer and John; son-in-law to Mike and Joan; cousin, nephew and friend to many.

Ryan is a multi-talented guy--an electrical contractor, talented mountain bike racer and a wonderful father. This same man who oversaw and did much of the work on building their home in Mt. Baldy is the same one who will happily sit for his three daughters' salon treatments. His humor is understated and his dependability is solid.

Happy Birthday, Ry, and may you have 91 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Bobby!

Dear Hearts,

January 22nd is the birthday of Robert Thomas Aquinas Sullivan: son of Bob and Darlene; husband of Nicole; father of Jeremiah, Ella, Thomas and Patrick; brother of John, Jim, Paul, Mike, Tim, Sister John Mary, Margaret, Ella and Peter; cousin, in-law, uncle and friend to a whole bunch more.

With one of the biggest and brightest smiles I've ever seen, Bobby moves about his world with kindness and goodness, much like his namesake and father.

As an attorney working in insurance defense, bad faith, coverage, professional liability defense and general litigation, he never speaks of his professional success (Selected for The Best Lawyers in America) but will gladly point out the accomplishments of his wife, children and extended family members.

So, happy birthday, Bobby, and may you have 75 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

God Bless Uncle John

Dear Hearts,

January 22nd is 94th anniversary of the birth of John Joseph Whalen: son of Jim and Johanna Whalen; husband of Helen Wiley Whalen (daughter of Boom and Boomp); father of Christian, Teresa, Damian, Lisa and Mercy; and grandfather and uncle of many.

He lived in many places, attended various schools, served in the military and fell in love with Aunt Helen when he was a student at Loyola Chicago. They were married in 1951 and the adventure began.

He taught elementary school in the Chicago area and finished a master's degree before packing up the family (Helen, Christian, Teresa and Damian) in 1957 to head to the Territory of Alaska, where the Bureau of Indian Affairs had teaching positions for couples. The next several years took Uncle John to teaching positions in Stevensville, Red Lodge and finally Missoula where he became the Chair of the English Department at Hellgate High School.

He was a superb teacher and a very funny man, from his use of accent, to his songs and poems, to his fine telling of a joke. He died at home on May 20, 2015.

Happy Birthday in heaven, Uncle John. God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

God Bless Big Sully

Dear Hearts,

January 20th is the 100th anniversary of the birth of James Patrick Sullivan Sr.: son of John Jeremiah (Lefty) and Anna Conick Sullivan; brother of Bob, Sister Anna Rita and Sister Margaret Sullivan; husband of Mary Claire Wiley Sullivan; father of Jim, Mary Fran, John, Mike, Matt, Anne, Jerry, Margy and Patty; grandfather of 24, and great-grandfather of over a dozen more!

He was a force here on earth--big, smart, athletic, strong, faithful and funny--and we all miss him terribly. He died in his sleep on the Feast of the Archangels, September 29, 1990. Someone made the joke that it was the perfect day since it would take three strong angels to carry him up to heaven. 

So, on this, your centennial birthday, we wish you a happy birthday in heaven, Dad. Please continue to watch over us. We pray that you are back in wedded bliss with Mom, dancing, laughing and singing with all your loved ones.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love,
Pitty Pat

Happy Birthday. Sara!

Dear Hearts,

January 19th is the birthday of Sara Jiménez Ferrera Sullivan: wife of Amos Sullivan; mother of Marcos, Roman and Carmen; daughter of Encarna and Antonio Jiménez; daughter-in-law of Nancy, Jim and Bitsy; in-law, aunt and friend of many, many more.

Sara hails from Badajoz in Spain and has lived here in America for seven years. She and Amos have created a lovely home in Northwest Indiana to raise their three little ones. Their youngest, Carmen, has started school now and last fall her mama joined her, taking a position as office manager at Chesterton Montessori School.

Happy Birthday, Sara, and may you have 94 more healthy ones by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Brian

Dear Hearts,

January 17th is the birthday of Brian Eugene Glick: husband of Margaret; father of Lizzy and Daniel; grandfather of Levi, Amos, Maggie and Holden; son of Dawn and Jack; brother of Betsy and Brenda; in-law, uncle, cousin and friend to scores of others. Today, he is best known as Yaya, his grandpa name.

As a business owner, Brian has navigated the challenges of the Covid 19 pandemic with impressive patience, creativity and innovative thinking. While he would never say so himself, he continues to work his tail off to maintain a safe, productive and professional environment for his clients and employees.

Outside of work, Brian continues to show an uncanny ability to repair just about anything that enters his realm--from a four-stroke Honda motorcycle to a tiny toy for a grandchild. He and Margaret continue exploring the West in their motorhome that offers all the comforts home, and in Mt. Baldy he is a pillar in the community as a volunteer with the fire department and water board, as well as a generous neighbor and friend.

So, happy birthday, Brian, and may you have 62 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Longevity Aspiration Protocol of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

God Bless Booma/Mom

Dear Hearts,

January 13th is the 128th anniversary of the birth of Anna Mildred Conick Sullivan, also known as Booma or Mom. She was the wife of John Jeremiah "Lefty" Sullivan; mother of Big Sully, Bob, Anna Rita, Margaret and four other little babies--two of whom only took a few breaths, one who lived a month, John Jeremiah, Jr., and one who only lived an hour, James Patrick.

She and her two sisters, Aunt Eleanor Mitchell and Aunt Alice Buckley, were Lefty's bridge partners for most of his young adulthood, and man, could Booma play bridge. She would skin you out in one hour flat and leave you dripping blood on the floor.

She used to make private moments with each of her grandchildren, washing their hands and faces and asking them about school and baseball. She loved baseball, but would not allow anyone to go to Cubs park. She hated Comiskey for the way he had treated Lefty and the other White Sox.

The branch springing from Jim called her Booma, and the branch springing from Bob called her Mom, and she called Lefty "Sully." She died in Phoenix, in the bosom of her family on August 8, 1979, at age 85.

Happy Birthday, Booma, Mom, Anna, and please look out for us all, and lend us your strong heart. God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, John!

Dear Hearts,

January 8th is the birthday of John Vincent Sullivan: son of Jim and Mary Claire; brother of Jim, Mary Fran, Mike, Matt, Anne, Jerry, Margaret and Patty; husband of Nancy; father of Mike and Lindsay, Matt and Maggie; grandfather of Evangeline, Violet and Brandon; nephew, uncle, cousin and friend to so many more.

John continues to work from home as the Public Policy Counsel at Google in Washington D.C. While his mostly younger coworkers have much to learn from John's expertise, he has learned quite a bit from them, and has upped his pop culture game considerably.

Among his grandkids, he is known as Heepa or Beepa, and he absolutely loves spending time with each of them. He and Nancy have had a beautiful partnership since high school and they are quite an inspiration. His talents are extraordinary, his humility is profound, and his love of peanut butter chocolate ice cream is everlasting. 

Happy Birthday, John, and may you have 55 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Anticipation of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Silas!

Dear Hearts,

January 3rd is the birthday of Silas Miles Henry Sullivan: son of Miles and Sarah; brother of Maeve and James: grandson of Jim, Bitsy, Nancy, Sam and Rosemary; nephew, cousin and friend to scores more lucky folks.

His Godmother, Auntie Anne, reports that Silas is funny, clever and loves animals, stuffed and real. He's so happy to join his sister and brother stomping into the woods in search for an adventure, and Maeve and James love him to pieces.

Happy birthday, little Silas, and congratulations on your first trip around the sun! May you have 123 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Anticipation of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Inez!

Dear Hearts,

January 2nd is the birthday of Inez Everly Hanjani: daughter of Maggie and Kameron; sister of Francesca; granddaughter of Mary Fran, Gary, Julie and Ali; niece, cousin and friend to scores more. Inez is the spitting image of Kam!

Starting her third trip around the sun, Inez has already shown herself to be an independent girl who is to her own self true. While her parents and sister dressed up in elaborate costumes as characters in the Wizard of Oz to go trick-or-treating, Inez, dressed in cozy sweats, sat happily in a  wagon cuddled in blankets and being driven by her daddy.

She loves playing with her sister--whether they are dancing in their fine princess gowns or stomping through puddles in their galoshes and rain raincoats--and the two are treated to lots of outings and adventures by Kam and Maggie.

Happy birthday, little Inez, and congratulations on your second trip around the sun! May you have 123 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Anticipation of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Connor!

Dear Hearts,

January 2nd is the birthday of Connor Vincent Whalen: son of Christian and Moira; brother of Nicholas, Morgan and Sean, grandson of John and Helen Whalen and the MacDougalls; nephew, cousin and friend to many more folks.

Connor is generous and supportive of his friends and family, donating to causes that are dear to their hearts. He was born and raised in Missoula, but looks like he's also spending time in Oregon.

His tastes in sports team are varied, as he follows and support the Portland Timbers (soccer), Chicago Bears (football) and the Boston Celtics (basketball). His tastes in the arts is similarly diverse--hip hop, country, comedy and fantasy.

So, happy birthday, Connor, and may you have 89 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Anticipation of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, John!

Dear Hearts,

December 31st is the birthday of John Jeremiah Sullivan: son of Peter and Melody; brother of Annie, Matthew, Benjamin, Mikey and Bo; cousin, nephew, grandson, teammate and friend to scores more. 

John continues to serve as a wonderful example to his younger brothers. Underneath the athleticism and strength lies a tender and loving heart. He has a mane of hair many envy and can always be found cheering on the Irish in all endeavors.

Happy birthday, little Sully. May you have 111 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Anticipation of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty